


The Red Butterfly and the Shapeshifting Youkai Lantern Festival

by suurin



Category: Original Work
Genre: Original Character(s), Original Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 03:32:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15788076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suurin/pseuds/suurin
Summary: Original Fairy tale.





	The Red Butterfly and the Shapeshifting Youkai Lantern Festival

###### Notes:

This original Fairy Tale and Poem is written by me, suurin. I wanted to do something festive, and summery (particularly something Japanese-themed like a traditional Japanese Festival). And I found there wasn't really any fairy tales set or majorly-focused around a Festival setting that included Japanese Youkai, and cultural elements like their folklore, etc. So, I decided to write and create one myself.

Also, here is an [illustration](https://www.deviantart.com/suurin/art/The-Red-Butterfly-and-the-Lantern-Festival-761010191) I made to help represent this story.

The Characters and Place Names that appear in this fairy tale belong to me.

Thanks for reading :)

### The Beginning

In the curious town of Tamaki, two young sisters (who were also apprentice shrine maidens at the local temple named Akane and Akiko lived in a little house behind the cemetery of the temple of Houshuyama-ji.

Compared to Akane, Akiko was extremely amiable and generally well-liked by the neighboring residents, though most of them considered the two sisters to be extremely beautiful for their age as they both shared the distinctive scarlet coloured hair that resembled the red setting sunset on a hot summer's day.

But on one summer's day, Akane's younger sister became very ill, so ill, in fact, that Akane sent for the head shrine maiden and the town doctor. They both came and did all they could to bring comfort during Akiko's last hours. While they watched, Akiko fell into a deep sleep; but she had no sooner done so than a large red butterfly had appeared in the room and rested on the young girl's pillow. The older sister, Akane tried to drive it away with a broom; but it came back three times, as if it refused to leave her poor sister Akiko alone.

Realizing the butterfly may be her sister's spirit fluttering off after leaving the constraints of her human body, Akane chased the butterfly out into the garden, through the gate, and into the cemetery beyond, "Don't go! Don't go! I didn't mean to drive you away, dear sister!" Akane called in vain, increasing her pace in order to catch up to the butterfly, where it lingered over a tombstone for a brief while, before it mysteriously disappeared.

When the older sister, Akane returned to the house she found that her younger sister, Akiko had passed away.  
After that, Akane seated herself upon the mountain temple steps, and rested her face in her hands, and let soft tears trickle down her cheeks. While, Akane was mourning the death of her sister, she had heard a soft rustling sound, and immediately afterward, she saw a fox dart into a thicket. Now Akane deemed it extremely lucky to see a fox, and, forgetting her prayers, she sprang up, and ran here and there, in the hope of finding this sharp-nosed little creature again.

Finally, Akane's hard work paid off, and she managed to locate the fox. But it had transformed into a captivating woman with flowing hair like golden wire.

"No need to be alarmed, child." The woman spoke, "I offer you this as a token of my gratitude for your dedicated service to this temple." The woman said, as she offered a fox mask to the flustered girl.

"Wear this mask to enter the Lantern Festival just below the mountain, undetected. For if you do not wear this mask, you may suffer the consequences of being discovered. And then, you could end up being spirited away, or eaten by the demons down there."

"This special mask will allow you to search for your sister's spirit, and bring her back to the living."

"Follow the red butterfly, "Wherever it may lead you."  
The fox spirit grinned one last time at the girl, before completely vanishing in a puff of smoke.

Normally, during the summer months in the town of Tamaki… Descending down the mountains away from the safe haven up high is a pure suicide. As spirits and demons will often overtake the night streets below the mountains, much to the dismay of the human residents. On the night of the summer festival, Akane descends the mountain for the first time and partakes in the Shapeshifting Youkai Lantern Festival, bearing the mask the Fox Spirit bestowed to her. There, Akane continues to wander the lantern-lit streets wistfully, searching for her sister; the crimson red butterfly.

 **Sign Outside the Festival (just before entering):**  
Any human is free to enter, as long as they wear a mask, or any face covering which disguises your identity. - WARNING: You may be eaten or spirited away if discovered.

###### Extra Author's Note:

This sign is human-made, and was put up by one of the Tamaki town's residents, who happened to live to tell the tale and spread the word about the dangers of the "Shapeshifting Youkai" Lantern Festival.  
The Shapeshifting Obake and Demons are more likely to just refer to the festival as "Lantern Festival" and omit the IMPORTANT detail "Shapeshifting Youkai" bit—Seeing as they want to lure the Tamaki residents there (under the guise of it being just a seemingly-"ordinary" Festival, and conceal their true natures, **e.g.** the fact there are "non-human creatures" lingering amongst the human festival-goers. 

###### Poem I Wrote to Accompany this Work:

_Down and down I come from the mountains,  
Summer is ever-present in the air,  
I can feel the breeze, carrying the scent of wild flowers.  
Stars shimmering above, cicadas singing into the night air,  
While the soft glow from the lanterns are like lost souls who have long left this world behind,  
The gentle whisper of the trees alarm me.  
Calling out the voices I can't understand,  
I watch in vain as demons of the night overtake our humble town just below the mountains…  
And I easily dash away without any trouble,  
My hair whipping behind me, like a horse's mane.  
My feet are like a fox's, swift and nimble.  
My eyes burning, like the wildest fire. With great determination.  
And in that moment,  
I am finally set free from any care.  
Since these demons won't be able to capture me.  
While I bear this fox mask.  
As I follow the crimson trail,  
of that, so elusive, fluttering, Red Butterfly.  
_


End file.
